SUV Catches Fire on Lawrence Expressway, Kills Local Man

A flipped SUV burst into flames near the border of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, killing a Santa Clara man and injuring three others.

Just after 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sunnyvale police responded to a report of an SUV that flipped near the intersection of Lawrence Expressway and Lochinvar Avenue.

The SUV’s speed appears to have contributed to the crash, according to a press release from Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS). The speed limit along Lawrence Expressway is 50 mph.

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Sal Roque, who lives near the crash site, said it appeared as if the driver sped into oncoming traffic, hit a car and demolished a street barrier before hitting another car and flipping.

“The first car he hit, he hit it so hard it turned the other way,” Roque said. “He must have been going really, really fast … It is a miracle that nobody else got killed.”

The SUV caught fire, engulfing it in flames by the time emergency responders arrived. Sunnyvale emergency responders attempted to rescue the driver, but the fire made such a rescue “untenable,” according to the release.

Although the initial officer on scene attempted to extinguish the flames, Roque said the SUV reignited.

“To us, it looked like it could explode at any time,” he said.

Once firefighters arrived, Roque said they seemed “so unprepared,” saying they were “scrambling,” repeatedly calling out, “We need water; we need water!”

Emergency responders later pronounced the driver dead at the scene, Sunnyvale DPS Capt. Dzahn Le wrote in an email. Whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash is unknown, he added.

An inquiry to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s Office to identify the man killed in the crash went unanswered. If we get an ID on the victim, we will update this story.

Hours later, Roque said, the whole neighborhood still smelled of smoke. As someone who has lived in the area, on the Santa Clara side, for nearly 15 years, Roque said crashes along that stretch are frequent.

“Every other night, somebody is racing down this expressway,” he said. “More often than not, there is these big accidents.”

The crash is still under investigation.

Three other cars were involved in the crash. Those drivers suffered minor injuries and remained on scene to cooperate with investigators. Police closed Lawrence Expressway between Benton Street and Homestead Road for several hours following the crash.

Roque described the initial collision as “very violent.”

“That sound was really horrifying,” he said. “I have never, ever heard somebody get hit that hard here, and I have seen a lot of accidents.”

Sunnyvale DPS is asking any witnesses to the crash to contact Investigator M. Longanecker at (408) 730- 7110.

Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com

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